This stamp issue makes up this year’s Definitive Series which is issued annually featuring King Juan Carlos I. This series aims at “meeting all postage needs established by the postage fees.”

Since November 22 1975 when Juan Carlos I was proclaimed King of Spain, the Definitive Series has been illustrated with a portrait of the monarch which is renewed usually every seven or eight years. The current issue is part of the fifth series that began to be printed in 2007 and in which the royal crown and face value are of a golden colour.

As Head of State, Juan Carlos I carries out a large number of activities covering different areas in political, social and cultural life. His interest in the European Union has become clear in his many visits to the different member countries and in his speeches, emphasizing the importance of this international organization. In acknowledgement, he has been awarded a large number of international prizes. His connection with the intellectual world comprises the High Patronage of the Royal Academies and strong relationships with the cultural and academic fields. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by over thirty prestigious Spanish and foreign universities.

Due to the importance of the Definitive Series in postal administrations, many countries issue this series with its own characteristics. Monarchies usually depict the portrait of their sovereigns. Great Britain does so featuring the profile of Queen Elizabeth II, Sweden alternatively depicts the portrait of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia and the Netherlands features the bust of Queen Beatrix.

In republican countries the themes of the Definitive stamps vary. In France the most represented theme is Marianne, an allegorical figure of a woman wearing a phrygian cap, which embodies the symbols of the French Revolution “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”.

Technical Details:
Date: 04/02/2011
Printing: Rotogravure
Paper: Coated phosphor gummed
Stamp size: 24.88 x 28.8 mm. (vertical)
Face value of stamps: 0.35, 0.50, 0.80 and 2.84 €
Colours of the stamps: P-2583, Cyan, P-340 and P-282, respectively, over Gold
Effects: Statement 50
Unlimited for the four postage stamps

Source: Spanish Post

published May 23rd, 2011